The 14 States Where You Can Buy Liquor At Trader Joe's

At Trader Joe's, you can shop for the best specialty wine bottles without breaking the budget. The grocer also tends to stock a varied selection of local and national beers, along with some pretty tasty seasonal selections, like Cookie Butter Beer, best served frozen. But were you aware that some Trader Joe's also carry liquor? Unfortunately, this is not available for every single store — only 14 states are home to Trader Joe's locations that sell liquor.

Why is this? Each state has different legislation when it comes to liquor licensing — this is why some Trader Joe's are completely dry, while other locations are fully stocked, selling everything from wine to liquor. Even within a state, there are further rules by county or city, which can control the time or day at which alcohol can legally be sold. It's not so clear-cut, but luckily, the Trader Joe's store locator gives details on if a given location sells beer, wine, or liquor, or none of the above. 

We'll make it as straightforward as possible with a list of states that do allow Trader Joe's to sell liquor: Arizona, California, Illinois, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Washington, and Wisconsin. Note that within some of these states, the sale of liquor is not consistent. For example, in Michigan and New Jersey, only one and two TJ's, respectively, stock liquor. Additionally, in a couple of other states — Colorado and Kentucky — liquor may be sold at wine shops next to standard Trader Joe's locations.

If you are lucky enough to have a Trader Joe's that sells liquor nearby, know that each state and location varies in terms of what is stocked, but the grocer provides an overview of its best-selling products on its website, including wine, beer, and liquor. You may spot these products in stores, but it's not possible to know exactly which ones each Trader Joe's will sell. Most stores dedicate one side of the aisle to liquor, which typically includes a small selection of tequila, vodka, whiskey, gin, tequila, and liqueurs. 

And yes, as it does for wine and beer, TJ's has its own label for liquor. While a store-brand liquor may be thought of as something to avoid buying at Trader Joe's, there are certainly some bottles worth grabbing. For a name brand and an affordable price tag, Trader Joe's liquors like the Kentucky Bourbon whiskey and the 10-times distilled small batch vodka generally receive solid reviews. For something a little more unique, the grocer offers an affordable bottle of amaro, a bitter apéritif, produced in Italy.

Don't forget about seasonal offerings, which often appear on customer lists of Trader Joe's best products of the year! Around the holidays, the store-brand liqueurs get festive, with offerings like cocoa cream liqueur, eggnog liqueur, and even a peppermint Joe-Joe's cream liqueur. What better way to give your wintery beverages a boozy twist?